Vietnam targets 10 billion USD from aquatic product exports in 2019

Hanoi (VNA) - Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong has called for more efforts to push aquatic product export turnover to 10 billion USD in 2019.

Addressing a recent conference to review the sector’s performance in 2018 and launch tasks for 2019, Minister Cuong asked the sector to increase its production value by 4.25 percent with total productivity of 7.9 million tonnes.

Besides, the Directorate of Fisheries was requested to focus on implementing the Law on Fisheries and developing the sector in line with planning.

In 2018, export turnover of aquatic products hit 9 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 8.4 percent.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said Vietnam recorded its highest fishery production ever in 2018 with 7.74 million tonnes, up 7.2 percent year-on-year.

Export revenue of tra (pangasius) fish saw breakthrough growth, hitting 2.26 billion USD, up 26.4 percent.

Exports of seafood also strongly increased, with tuna shipments reaching 675 million USD (up 13.9 percent), other fish groups - 1.52 billion USD (up 15.5 percent), and the molluscous group – 785 million USD (up 9.1 percent).

Tran Dinh Luan, Vice General Director of the Directorate of Fisheries said Vietnam’s aquaculture area in 2018 was 1.3 million hectares, up 6 percent.

2018 was a prosperous year for the Vietnamese tra fish industry, with its cultivation area hitting 5,400 ha, up 3.3 percent compared to 2017.

Farming areas and processing plants of tra fish in Vietnam have received praise from inspection delegations from the US Department of Commerce, making it easier for the products to access the US market.

For the shrimp industry, in the context of a sharp drop in material shrimp price in late May, the Directorate of Fisheries recommended shrimp farmers comply with technical standard and took to value chains to reduce risks.

Regarding offshore fishing, Vietnam has 95,847 fishing ships, with 98.6 percent wooden-shell fishing vessels. A total 82 fish ports are operating in 27 coastal provinces and cities nationwide, while 58 storm shelter areas were built in 24 provinces and cities with maximum capacity of 42,464 fishing boats. - VNA